What it means to Dance
by lightningpelt
Summary: Oh, an outdoor concert on a clear summer night... KuraxMelody angsty-fluff, oneshot.


**(A/N) I just can't seem to stop writing for this pairing. **

**This time… fluff! Angsty fluff, but fluff nonetheless. :3 Every pairing needs some. **

**Tried present tense. *hides from flying tomatoes* **

**I do not own Kurapika, Melody, or Neon (thank God for that last one…). **

How have I ended up here, seated upon the grass like this, listening to delicate music snake around us and twine with the sound of his heartbeat?

Neon had wanted to come here; that was it. We had accompanied her, as bodyguards, as is our job. But there's no danger here, in the moonlit park with the light, peaceful notes that drift around us. I suspect that Kurapika has become accustomed to his role; the way he sits, so vigilant in the darkness, does not suggest a boy playing the part of a bodyguard, nor does his focused heartbeat. Yes, he's become accustomed to being Neon Nostrade's bodyguard, despite the deceptive nature of his post.

I think absently, _If I did not have this gift of mine, would I wonder if he loved her? Would I grow jealous, wondering if he had eyes that he reserved for her alone, and a heartbeat that only she could hear with her ear pressed to his breast? _As it is, I can be sure that he doesn't; in fact, his heartbeat tells me that he really can't stand the girl. Still, perhaps I would have wondered.

The song changes to a cheerful assortment of strings and flute; the young rise, Neon among them, to dance, but of course I do not. Still, my polluted being itself seems to remember the steps and twists, the movements I used to delight in. I feel tears, tainted with the poison in my body, sting my eyes, and suddenly I hear Kurapika's heartbeat change.

"Melody?" he asks, a song of concern caressing my ears. "What's wrong?"

I sniff, trying to wipe the tears away with the back of one hand. "Nothing," I whisper. "It's just that… I… back when… I would dance…"

Struggling to complete the thought, I break off with a gasp as he loops his strong arm around my shoulder; I'm ridged as I feel myself fall against his chest, trapped there- held there –by his warm embrace. His heartbeat is so vivid that it blocks out everything else, eclipsing even the sound of my own.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, giving my body a small squeeze. Slowly, against what might be my better judgment, I let my head rest against him, listening in silence to the serenade of grief-stained love that his heart sings to me. I'm taken aback by it, but so utterly thankful that I nearly drown in the feeling. Then, I smile.

"I met you," is my only reply, the only one I could dream of giving.

Again he draws me closer. "… I wouldn't wish for it," he admits.

"I wouldn't take it back," I answer promptly.

He sighs, leaning back and letting me nestle deeper into it. "That makes me feel less guilty about how grateful I am for it all. For everything that's brought this about."

I laugh suddenly, musically, and the last of the tension leaves me as I reach up to take his hand. He laughs too, quietly, and a bit of the grief in his heart seems to ease. I smile, deciding that, if I could simply stay in this moment until we both faded into the next life, I would be happy.

"Oh, how _cute_!"

Kurapika and I both bristle at the loud shriek that appears behind us; Neon has returned from her dancing and, apparently, we've been too engrossed in our own conversation to notice. I decide that, even without the extra nail of jealousy, this girl's coffin is defiantly sealed. And I'm usually not a hostile person. Kurapika is still frozen, hot with embarrassment beneath me, and we both get mechanically to our feet.

"M-Melody-san was cold," Kurapika stammers, his whole body stiff as stone, and I give a little sound of surprise.

"_You _were the one complaining about the cold," I remind him playfully, laughing internally at his baleful look.

Neon only stares at us in blatant confusion, trying to comprehend for a only a moment before blurting out, "But its summer!"

And now we're both laughing aloud, and that sound is more precious, more beautiful than that of any of the instruments still playing. And even if my body can't, my heart _dances_.

THE END

**(A/N) How'd you guys like it? Please review! **

**WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS THINK OF A MULTI-CHAPTER KURAXMELODY FIC? I have (what I think is) a really good idea for one…! Would you all read it? Maybe? Only if I begged? **


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